Yep, that’s how I always experienced TasTV when we visited my grandparents at Bicheno after Southern Cross started up north.
I was visiting friends in Bicheno in 1995 and they were thrilled that they were now getting “north” (Southern Cross) as well as “south” (Tas TV)
3 Likes
The Queenstown stations are definitely off the North feed. LCN names are “Launceston” and ads reflect that too.
1 Like
Wonder if this was a change made with the digital rollout, they certainly had been southern based with analogue.
2 Likes
I remember when I was last in Queenstown (NYE 2015/16), Southern Cross was showing as ‘SCTV Launceston’ on the tv, which would be the Northern feed. Hobart showed ‘SCTV Hobart’ at that time.
I’m told by an old timer previously from the area that Rosebery was TVT6 as well. Which would indicate they were all daisy chained.
I’m unsure where the boundaries lie now especially on the east coast, I know Bicheno ABC local radio is Northern Tas. Orford repeater is 936 Hobart content though. Perhaps tv is similar?
2 Likes
i don’t think that is correct. I remember staying there as a kid and viewing northern Tasmania TV but happy to be corrected.
This clip may also suggest otherwise as it features Bicheno. But other parts of Tasmania may have featured even though they weren’t serviced by TVT.
1 Like
All,
I am 100% sure that Queenie now gets a North Tas Feed, and I guess that’s much more relevant than a Hobart feed. I suspect its just an off air feed of Mt Reid, as you have Line of Site (JUST) between the two sites. I suspect Strahan uses Mt Reid also. I seem to recall however BA uses microwave down the west coast (in spots) to distribute their programs.
As for Bicheno being TVT/TNT territory, I stand corrected. I wonder how they got signal into bicheno? Orford was probably just an off air feed of Mt Wellington, but I can’t imagine (in Analogue days) that welly would have been sufficient to run a translator off at that location.
Having said that, I don’t suspect there is much rock in the way between Welly and Bicheno, and with a high gain yagi, you would probably be in business.
Back onto radio, ABC North Tas, is down as far as Swansea, and Queenstown and Westerway. I suspect this has to do with the ease of setup, just take an off-air feed of 91.7 7NT and away you go.
2 Likes
So basically 7NT is available everywhere except Hobart?
1 Like
I am happy to be corrected, but only 3 TX’s carry ABC Radio Hobart, 936 AM out of Sandford/Ralphs Bay, Orford has a low power FM translator and a DAB service off Mt Wellington and White Rock.
There are two AM services that I am unsure about, and thats the one servicing the fingal valley and St Helens. My guess is 7NT, but can’t recall.
All the rest (from memory) is 7NT.
2 Likes
Looking at translator sites and the older telephone exchanges that receive off air and you’ll see very high gain yagis for broadcast quality reception.
Often manufactured in house in ‘olden days’ (pre millennium or earlier).
As evidenced with Gan Gan Hill and Mt Mackenzie + many other places, the RX antenna has proven unsuitable for retransmission from the pre digital main site.
I would say that ABC from Launceston is on all translators outside of Hobart to the north and west and east save for Orford.
Not near details to check, the Orford translator self help or BA operated site?
What about 89.7 at Maydena? I think this is a self-help service set up with bushfires in mind. It was on air during my visit last year but I didn’t note what feed it was taking. It gets out fairly well, too, being audible in some higher parts of Hobart such as Rosny Hill.
1 Like
If I understand correctly, 89.7 takes the Northern Tasmanian feed, as ABC Hobart is not available on satellite.
1 Like
Thanks for that. 936 would be more relevant to that area, though, especially since Mount Field National Park is a common day/weekend destination for Hobartians.
The only other option would be to rebroadcast the web stream, though I’m guessing connectivity is too sketchy out that way to do so.
1 Like
Was the conversion of 7NT to FM to make it easier to feed all the translators off air instead of microwave links or expensive satellite.
1 Like
Someone I know used to be on call for the site at Bicheno many years ago when things stopped working and they told me that the tower there has line of sight to Mt Wellington so it does sound plausible.
Remember too that ABC and WIN used to run an analogue translator on the ridge out at Strathgordon before digital switchover and that’s not exactly spitting distance from Hobart either. Last time I was out there a few years ago it was a signal dead spot of every variety but on the hill may be different.
Yeah those are 7NT, I travel the area quite often during summer. Surprised 1161 AM Fingal hasn’t been turned off really, it gets it’s feed from South Sister at St Marys I believe which covers the area quite well as does Mt Barrow is places.
According to ACMA, 7ABCRR Orford is “National” rather than Maydena “Retransmission” so that would indicate BA I suspect.
That would seem a little odd (not suggesting it’s wrong though). I wonder how the Orford site is fed? I was always under the impression it was a relay of the Hobart program.
1 Like
Here’s another quirky one for the followers… As some would know, Radio National takes the Tasmanian news bulletins when they are broadcast through the day and such. The east coast sites of St Marys and St Helens (there may be more) don’t and instead play a national bulletin from Sydney.
I contacted ABC reception about this as it means there is no local news available in summer when the cricket is on. Their response, as you can probably imagine, was somewhat light on detail considering the amount of points raised by me, but it said:
Unfortunately RN does not have a dedicated satellite footprint for Tasmania so the local news can only be distributed into the RN feed on transmitters that have a line feed from Hobart. This is not the case for St Helens and St Marys so they are restricted to the National Bulletin. Distribution for ABC Local Radio is not affected by the same problem.
Now this sounds like a load of rubbish because I have no doubt that South Sister St Marys has line of sight to Barrow and I’m pretty sure St Helens is then fed from St Marys. ABC Local doesn’t have the same problem and I would have thought was fed from the same place.
Every time there is maintenance at the St Marys site most of the east coast is without a signal so that would suggest this is the main relay point from Barrow. What’s also interesting is that the Weldborough site IS the Tasmanian feed (probably directly off Barrow).
I would be interested to see if anyone has heard of this in the past.
3 Likes
90% sure its BA.
1 Like